The Varsity Volleyball team traveled to Lawrence Academy for a midweek matchup against Lawrence Academy, and, after five close sets, were unable to finish and lost 2-3.
The Zebras came out strong in the first set, with the first kill coming from right side Annabelle Lerner '23 assisted by setter and co-captain Sofia Dickinson '22. Outside hitter Julie Chen '23 then stepped back to serve, notching the first ace of the match before a dig by outside hitter Sydney Feeney '22 allowed Sofia to set up another kill by Annabelle. Libero Romy Ahn '23 was the next to serve for Middlesex, and her consistent serve allowed the Zebras to put together a run of eight points to take control of the first set. During Romy's run, which included two aces, Sofia mixed up the offense and assisted kills by middle hitter Parker Boyden '23, Annabelle, and Sydney before Lawrence earned the side out on a big kill by their middle hitter. Setter Caroline Cervini stepped back to serve and added another ace to the Zebras' total. The next server for the Spartans was able to narrow the gap as Middlesex lost a string of points, but the momentum didn't shift for long; the Zebras continued to add, and despite a valiant effort by the Spartans to pull back into the game in the final points of the set, the first set ended 25-20, Middlesex.
The second set looked a lot like the first, but it went the other way: the Spartans' servers caught Middlesex off balance and capitalized on their strong offense, putting together a modest lead that they maintained through most of the set. An early highlight of the set was a great dig by defensive specialist Antonia Baylor '22, which allowed Sofia to set up a kill by Julie. In the middle of the set, a perfect serve receive by Antonia let Sofia assist a kill by middle hitter and co-captain Morgan Clapp '22 for an important side out. The set remained close, but ultimately ended on a back row kill by the Spartans, 21-25, Lawrence.
The third set featured a lot of exciting rallies and great play by offense and defense on both sides of the net. Middle hitter Sadie Goodwin '23 subbed in to serve in the middle of the set, and her tricky float serve put the Spartans off balance, and Morgan was able to score a block off their off-speed attack. One dramatic first-serve side out came off a perfect pass by outside hitter Anna Buell, and Sofia set it right back to her for a kill down the line. The third set ended 25-18, Middlesex.
Middlesex came out swinging in the fourth set, scoring the first point as a side out with a kill by Julie. The Zebras edged ahead and maintained a few points' lead for most of the set, but a series of errors and some strong, consistent play by the Spartans allowed Lawrence to pull ahead in the final points, and the Spartans took the fourth set, 23-25.
Both teams were clearly exhausted from four intense sets of competition as the match went into a final deciding set. The set began with a big block by Morgan followed by an aced serve by Sofia— an auspicious start for the Zebras. But again, the Spartans were able to capitalize on some unforced errors by fatigued Middlesex players, and the final set ended 10-15, Lawrence.
Middlesex is now looking forward to hosting Brooks School on Saturday, October 9 at 2:30pm.
